by Bella Jewel
Briella rolls and stares at me, her eyes wide. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, babe, seriously. Found some shit at Bryant's house, linkin' it all back, and it turns out it's lookin' a whole lot like he's the ring leader. Could be wrong, but it could explain a lot when it comes to Aviana and her family."
"I know you said Avi was okay, but do you believe that?"
Not goin' to lie to her anymore, even if the truth is harder to deal with. "Look, there have been some things come forward that have suggested that maybe Aviana isn't as safe as we thought, that maybe it's all just a big set up. Hard to tell, and I can't promise you anything, but we'll find out what we can."
Briella frowns, and then exhales. "I let her down. I should have gone after her a long time ago."
"We've all made mistakes, don't take yours to heart. There is nothing you could have done to prevent what happened with her family."
"No, but I could have gone looking for her. I should have trusted my gut, and I didn't. She could be anywhere now..."
I press a kiss to her forehead. "We'll find out what happened to her."
Fuck, I hope it's good news.
How much more can one person possibly take?
28
BRIELLA
"It'll be okay," I tell Merleigh. "They're nice, and we have a lot of fun at our cookouts. I promise you, it's going to be a great night."
Merleigh rubs her arms and glances around. It has been ten days exactly since we got them here, and it has been a hell of a ride. Cova has good and bad days, but mostly good in the last few. She doesn't say much to anyone, but I think she's finally past the worst of the drugs leaving her system, so it's an uphill ride now.
She's still determined that she's in love with Bryant, and part of me thinks it's going to take a lot more therapy to get her to believe otherwise, but we're doing our part. She comes out of her room here and there, but mostly she stays inside, hidden from the world. I talk to her every day. I drop off photos of our family, and I tell her stories. She acts like she's not listening, but I could swear her eyes softened just a touch when I went in this morning, and she didn't yell at me once.
I have to believe that's her finally coming around.
Tonight we're having a cookout. The place is heavily guarded, due to everything that's happened in the past few months, so I'm sure it's safe for Cova to come out and join in. I've told her she's welcome and left it with her. I can only hope she decides to take me up on my offer.
Merleigh was excited to join in, though a little anxious. It has been a long time since she's been to any sort of party, and she's not sure if she'll fit in anymore. Her words, not mine. I assured her it'll be great, and together we are joining the party.
I've dressed her in some of my clothes, and I did her hair.
She's stunning, and I honestly don't think she knows it. She would have to be one of the prettiest girls I've ever laid eyes on, and that's saying something. I'm friends with a lot of gorgeous women, but she takes the cake.
"I'm worried I'll make a fool of myself, or say something stupid, in front of all those men."
Merleigh squirms at the thought, and I place a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I promise you that. They are great people, and they're not going to judge you in any way."
She nods and takes a deep, shaky breath. She glances around at the fire, and all the men starting to sit around it. The smell of our dinner cooking on the grill makes my stomach rumble, and I'm looking forward to a night off. It's been a long time since we've enjoyed ourselves. I've invited Karen and also Waverly. I think Merleigh will like them, and the more friends she can have, the better.
"Come on, let's go and sit down. I'll get you a soda," I tell her.
We join the group, and the guys smile at Merleigh as she nervously sits down. Bohdi comes over, and my heart does a little flutter when I look back and see him talking to her. Together, they're like blond angels. Their hair is so beautiful, their skin so perfect. They'd make a hell of a match, and I can only hope Merleigh keeps bonding with him. I think they've both got dark pasts, and might just very well help each other heal.
I reach the grill where Alarick is flipping some burgers.
"How's Merleigh going?" he asks me.
"She's doing okay. She's super nervous, but okay. I think she's settling in, little by little."
"And Cova?"
"She can come out at any time. I don't think she will, but at least she has the option to. I think she's slowly getting better."
"Yeah, it'll take a little longer with her, but you're doin' a great job."
I smile and lean up, kissing him, before moving to the drinks fridge and getting two sodas out. I'm not going to drink because Merleigh can't, and I'm supporting her as much as I possibly can right now. She deserves that.
I take a seat beside her and hand her the soda just as Karen walks in. I wave her over, and she joins us with a smile. I introduce her to Merleigh, and the two of them hit it off right away.
I can't wipe the smile from my face.
It feels like Christmas has come all at once here.
Like things are finally falling into place.
Finally.
"I CAN'T GET HOLD OF Waverly," Zariah says, standing in front of Alarick, the fire flickering over her pretty face and making her look even more beautiful.
"What do you mean you can't get hold of her?" Alarick asks, his eyes narrowing.
Zariah shakes her head. "It means exactly that, Alarick. I can't get hold of her. I've been trying for the last twenty-four hours. She had a 'date' with Dax, and since then, I've not been able to contact her."
Oh god.
This is not happening.
No.
"Are you sure she's still there and not just sleepin'?"
"I'm sure," Zariah nods. "She's not been home, I've checked. I'm worried something bad has happened to her."
"Listen, take it easy. Unless Dax has found out, which I highly doubt, she's probably just spent the night there or is meeting a potential buyer. Now isn't a time to overreact."
"How can I not overreact?" Zariah snaps. "She's my sister! I told her to find a way to call me, no matter what, and she hasn’t done that."
"Yeah, she is, but goin' off ain't goin' to fix anything," Alarick growls.
"We'll go for a drive past, scour around," Kendric says, standing. "Do the best we can to see if we can find her."
"Driving around isn't going to find her!" Zariah mutters to him. "She's not going to be just walking down the street."
"Listen, lady," Kendric growls. "I'm tryin' to help you out here."
"I don't want your damned help."
They're practically nose to nose now, glaring at each other. For the love of God, why are they bringing their little drama fest when we need to be worrying about Waverly right now?
She's the most important thing.
The most important.
"Calm down, you two," I say, standing and putting my hand on Kendric's chest to push him back. "This isn't about either of you, this is about Waverly. She's likely with Dax and hasn't been able to check-in. It can't hurt to do a drive around, and Zariah, I think you need to talk to Bennett. Not to ask questions, just to get a general idea if he's seen or heard from her."
"He won't tell me anything, I've already tried," Zariah exhales and runs her hand down her face. "I knew this would go bad. I knew he'd figure it out."
"Before anyone panics, we don't know if he's figured out anything. There are a million reasons why Waverly hasn't shown up, and not all of them are dark," Alarick throws in. "We'll get a team out to look for her now, and we'll do what we can to find her."
"There's somewhere else Dax goes," Merleigh says, her voice soft. "I went there a few times, stayed overnight. It's usually right before he sells you, or introduces you to the person he's selling you to..."
Everyone turns and looks to Merleigh.
"You remember where that is?" Alarick asks.
"Yes, I do. Bu
t you won't get in. It's fully secured. However, I did do overnight stays with Dax, and during them, our phones would be somewhere else, intentionally, no doubt. So, please don't panic about Waverly. If it’s what happened to me, it’s part of the plan. If Waverly is acting, she’s not going to demand her phone. None of us did, we were so excited."
Zariah looks to Merleigh, and her eyes fill with a little relief. "Thank you, that helps."
"Give her a few hours," Merleigh tells them. "I've never seen Dax hurt a girl, not unless he had to. He wants them to believe he's offering a better life, just remember that. Waverly is safe, I'm sure of it."
God, I hope she's right.
I do because if she's wrong, that means Waverly could be anywhere.
Going through anything.
I don't like that thought, but there's also nothing that can be done about it.
We just have to trust Merleigh and pray that what she's saying is true.
Pray that Waverly is safe.
Pray that she's going to come home tomorrow and everything will be fine.
I have to believe it will be.
I have to have faith in the work we've done.
Dax might be smart, but we're smarter.
Waverly is clever.
She'll come out on the other side of this.
I just know it.
Still, behind my back, I cross my fingers anyway.
I cross them and pray she'll be okay.
God, please, let her be okay.
THE END
The story will continue in the next book of the series – for all you Mykel fans; you're going to get Mykel and Waverly's story in less than eight weeks, so keep your eyes peeled!!!
Mykel – Releasing June 2020
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